Iran: Death penalty / Fear of imminent execution: Reza Alinejad (m)
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/173/2008
Further Information on UA 63/07 (MDE 13/029/2007, 12 March 2007) and follow-up (MDE 13/169/2008, 20 November 2008) - Death penalty / Fear of imminent execution
IRAN Reza Alinejad (m), aged 23
Juvenile offender, Reza Alinejad was released on 3 December from Adelabad prison, in Shiraz. The family of the victim waived their right to demand Reza Alinejad's death after accepting payment of diyeh (blood money).
Reza Alinejad had been convicted of the murder of Esmail Daroudi, which took place on 26 December 2002, when he was 17 years old. He had been sentenced to qesas (retribution) by Section 6 of Fasa Provincial Criminal Court on 4 October 2003. The death sentence was quashed by the Supreme Court in December 2004 after it accepted that Reza Alinejad had acted in self-defence.
The case was sent back to a lower court for investigation where it was heard by branch 101 of Fasa Provincial Criminal Court. However on 15 June 2005, this court sentenced Reza Alinejad to death after concluding that he could have fled the scene and so avoided the fight in which Esmail Daroudi was killed, and had therefore acted unreasonably.
On 9 May 2006, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence and Reza Alinejad was granted a month to gather the required diyeh to be paid to the victim's family. Reza Alinejad's father went to court in early November 2008 and was told that the family had one month to raise the money, which they have now paid.
Throughout his ordeal, Reza Alinejad maintained that the death of Esmail Daroudi had not been intentional.
No further action is requested from the UA network. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.